Manufacture of rubber footwear.



, M 'PATRNTRD JUNL19,51-9106.` y Gil v MANURAGTURR 0B RUBBER FOOTWEAR.

APPLICAIION'IILED MAB. zz 1905 @Imi/Eneco@ l )MAURICE. raovinENcng-,Rnonii,isiiNnj-'Assidioa Tol y -MARvnnRUBana jcoMgiANY, 'A ooRPQaarioN`oF-1RH0DE repara); e a' of Rubber Footwear,

" citizen ofthe' United l Specification ofiette'rsi'Pat'ent I; niemeer-cum, a States','and`aresident of j Providence, inf the county of Providence4 and l State 'of yIthodelsland, h`ave invented a new and usefullmprovement inthe Manufacture of which the following Be if know-a an This'inventionjpertains to l certain novel 'f and useful improvementsfinythemanufacture ofimoldedfootw'ea'r; f In the ac'ompanyin drawin s 'Ifhave shown.; an apparatus lembodying t 'e present inventlon in itsl lto be understoo A'that I rd'0 not limit4 myselfin its construction `to the .precisejdetails herein shown, as there may be modification 'and variati'on without departing from the spirit or sco e of the invention'.

n the accompanying drawings all-'characters of reference indicate like parts in both v. the. views.

embodying my invention.

Figure 1 is a sidel viewof a footwear-'lasty Fig. 2 isa transverse vertlcal sectional view taken through the last on approximately' the line 2 2 of the accompanying ldrawings I havel shown alast adapte to be used in the vulcanization of shoes under pressure, and the present invention pertains to'a last comprising a substantially solid body portion having channels therein through which the air 4may be introducedbetween the body of the last land 'the shoe to-be vulcanized.

' In the Adrawings the letter A designates the last 'as a whole, and the main portion of the same is ofa shape substantially the contour of the shoe to be rnanufactured.-` In its preferred form such last comprises an approxi' mately solid foot portion 5, to the top portion v of which is secured 'a solid relatively heavy f communicate (preferredform but I wish it ducts or'channels 11 tend throughthe plate@ to the` outside there- W-a'gaa-anali@lad-lea of' and at a point below which the top'ofthe vshoe lbein V`manufactured will flielr-` r tion is-'substantial y as.f ollovnsfi .The shoetor boot, Yafslat- S, 1islbuiltup of ytheusual ,unvulcanized materialv ffor V--rubben footwear upon? the last, as shown in the 'drawin'gs,v or,I ifpreferred,4 itmay^ .be built ,upon y a separate last thev upper edge portion of ,thef plate r6 .and

.above the f outer #termination ofv ,the small channels {1L- The last with 'its f fshoemay then'be placed inthe,- Qrdnflymold, which is closed (not shown) and the vulcanizingheat applied and continued long enough to comp ete'the vulcanization. As soon asthe mold isjclosed, air under any suitable pressure is admitted through the channel 9' and' in the extension 8, and thence flows through the y `small ,laterally-inclined channels-11 to the space between the inner face of the" shoe and t e outer surface. of-.the last. The shoe is thus s uiiiciently' distended by such air-pressuret`o exert'a` 1proper pressure of op o'sition the vmold to 'cause t e com.-

to the action o plete vulcanization of the Walls'ofthe boot o'r shoe interposedy between such last and the mold.-

It will thus be seen that I have provided an exceedingly simple last for the described' manner of,v manufacturing rubber footwear and one which will combine the essential and `desired features of durabilityand economly. al

It isv further to be noted that insteadofm ing the parts 5 and Q separate they may be. made out of a singlel solid block turned to the contour of the boot or shoe, and any means maybeemployed for introducing 'the charg of air to the main vertical channel 9. Within vthe reduced stem portion 10 of the extension8, which forms the valve-casing, I may mount a valve of any suitable character, (not shown,) which is designed to control the passa e of air tothe last.` iat I claim is-. v

1. A last com rising a solid body portion over which is a' apted to fit a boot or shoe,

such last having a main channel extending therethrough and a branch" channel communicatimr with and leading from the main channel,

through which air may be passed to v roo the space between the surface of the last and the interior of the boot or shoe.

2. A last comprisin a. solid body portion adopted to fit within t e boot or shoe, an exl between the solid body portion and a boot or shoe surrounding the same.

4. A last comprising a. body portion, an extension therefor having e Huid-channel formed therein, and c plurality of diverging channels adapted to conduct the Huid from the first-mentioned fluid-channel to the space between the outer surface of the lest `and a boot or shoe surrounding the same.

5. A'last comprising a solid body portion formed of two united sections,the upper section comprising o plate, an extension member connected to the late and hnving a main channel therein, sai channel having laterelly-extending passa e-ways connected therewith to conduct flui from the. main channel .to a lpoint outside lthe body portion.

6. A last comprising e solid body ortion, endv an extension member connected therewith, said extension member having o. vertical che @el therein for the passa e-way of a fluid, eifd a plurality of incline divergin channels connected to the irstmrntione channel and extending through the body portion of the last, wherebfluid may be conducted-from the mein c ennel to the space between the exterior of the last and a shoe'on such lest.

In testimony whereof I have .signed my name to this speciication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAURICE C. CLARK.

Witnesses: v MARION E. MERIWETHER, ROBERT W. BURBANK. 

